Posture
No - it's not the latest dance trend.
Chin tuck exercises have been well documented for many years to reduce neck pain, headaches, stiffness and much more. All of this is accomplished by promoting PROPER spinal alignment thereby removing stress on your joints and neck muscles, putting your body into a state of ease. You see, there is a normal structure to our spine which includes a normal curve in our neck when viewed from the side. This curve keeps the weight of our head squarely on our shoulders and keeps tension off of spine and neck muscles. The problem is that many of us have poor postural habits (hunching forward, looking down at our phones/computers, etc.) which cause us to slowly lose this normal curve.
Our doctors perform these exercises DAILY, and we encourage our patients to do the same. The beauty about these exercises is that they require no equipment and can be performed anywhere. They can be done at your desk, while driving your car, or by standing up straight with your back against the wall. By repeating this exercise several times throughout the day you are encouraging good postural habits (promoting that proper neck curve) as well.
Here's how to do them:
1.) Simply stand or sit up straight. Take a deep breath in, stand/sit up tall, and draw your shoulders back.
2.) Pull your head and upper back backwards so they are flat against the wall/chair/headrest. It is important that your chin is down and flat so that your head is not looking up.
3.) Hold this position for 5 seconds and feel your deep cervical (neck) muscles contract. Repeat 10 times and feel free to perform multiple times throughout the day.
Starting Position
Hold this position